Steal Away Under Scottish Stars--"Under Scottish Stars" by Carla Laureano—Review

My Review

Scotland?  Yes please!  If you know me, Scotland is my favorite location in the world.  So, of course I wanted to read this book.  I loved the first two books in the “MacDonald Family Trilogy” and have been eagerly awaiting my next return to Skye in this third installment.  It did not disappoint!  This book can be read as a standalone.

"Under Scottish Stars" is like a love letter to Skye and Scotland.  It transported me to the remote Isle of Skye with its amazing views and wild, rugged beauty.  I just want to live in this book.  Ms. Laureano masterfully describes this beautiful place, while also weaving in a wonderful love story.  Even though this is a contemporary story, it feels a bit like stepping back in time due to the remoteness of the Island.

The characters are very relatable, flawed and loveable.  I love following the journey of Serena (our main character) as she travels back to Skye.  She has a great character arc.  Malcom, the hero, is pretty much a dream guy.  It is fun to follow their love story (be prepared for a little more steaminess than the average Christian fiction book, but nothing more than PG-13).  I loved being back with the MacDonald Family.  Overall, this is a fantastic end to the series!

Content:  I give this book a PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content are: mention of alcohol and drugs; the word “hellish” is used; mention of people cursing, but the words are not actually written; mention of a woman’s cleavage; a reference to drugs; a reference to making love.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Carla Laureano, Tyndale and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

 

About Carla Laureano:

Carla Laureano is the RITA Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Connect with Carla

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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A Sweet "Cinderella" Story (Reversed)--"The Peasant's Dream" by Melanie Dickerson—Review

My Review

"The Peasant's Dream" by Melanie Dickerson is the eleventh and final book in the “Hagenheim” series.  It is a sweet, gentle, reverse “Cinderella” story, telling the story of Adela, the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm.  It can be read as a standalone.

I love the diversity of Melanie’s characters and their personalities.  In this series, there is a hero and heroine to suit everyone.  There are kick-butt heroines and valiant knights.  In this installment, the hero and heroine are both gentle, kind and artistic.  Adela loves to paint, and Frederick loves to carve wood.  I love how they bond over their passion for art and creating things with their hands.  Frederick, especially, is very masculine, but also kind and gentle.  I love how he looks out for others; one example being how he is kind to his prison guard and even prays for him.  Adela grapples with the reality that she may have a hard time going from the privileged life of a Duke’s daughter, to the poor wife of a woodcarver and farmer.  I find it very refreshing to see a character not jumping headlong into a new life without really considering the ramifications.  I admit, some parts of this story were a little slow for me.  But the end picked up and it was one of my favorite Dickerson endings!  I loved not only seeing the conclusion of Adela and Frederick’s love story, but the love story of Frederick’s mother pan out.  And the family reunion and updates on characters from the other books in the series were so satisfying to read.  I am sad to see the end of this wonderful series!  I cannot wait to see what Ms. Dickerson writes next!

Content: I give this book a PG rating.  Some examples of the content are: a man drinks a lot of alcohol and is verbally and physically abusive; a woman is pregnant out of wedlock; some of the more “uncomfortable” Bible stories are mentioned; it’s said that men curse, but the words aren’t actually written.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Melanie Dickerson, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author who combines her love for history, adventure, and romance. Her books have won a Christy Award, two Maggie Awards, The National Reader’s Choice Award, the Christian Retailing’s Best Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award, the Golden Quill, and the Carol Award. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children and adults in the U.S., Germany, and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing stories of love and adventure near Huntsville, Alabama.

To purchase the book click here

To visit the author's website click here

A Fun and Handy Accessory for every Household! --Magnetic Leather Pen Holder—Review

My Review

I love these Magnetic Leather Pen Holders!  They are great to keep your pens and pencils handy so that you’re not always trying to find something to take notes with or write with.  I know for me; we are always losing pens and I can never find one when I want to add something to the grocery list.  This pen holder will go perfectly on our refrigerator next to our grocery list.  It’s also great for writers and book reviewers, like myself.  I can now have a pen handy for when inspiration hits or I need to take notes on my current review book.  I put it on my metal library cart in my study, right by my reading and blogging area.  These are very well made, and they look great.  They can also fit more than one pen or pencil.  I highly recommend this product and my husband is already trying to steal mine!

 

I want to thank Heyrtz for the complimentary product for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.  

To purchase these click here

Review of Campaign Monitor-- A user-friendly email marketing platform provider!

 

I recently had the opportunity to test out an email marketing platform provider called Campaign Monitor.  I'm always trying to find better ways to promote my blog and Instagram, so I thought Campaign Monitor would be perfect for that.  Through Campaign Monitor’s web-based platform I’m able to send out a newsletter to promote both my blog and Instagram and update my followers on the different tours and giveaways happening on my blog and Instagram. 

With Campaign Monitor, I took advantage of the free trial, but did spend time also looking at what was included in their other packages.  Their Basic Package—$9 per month—includes email design tools, technical support, subscriber management and more, which I thought was a lot for the price!  You can see a list of the three plans and what they include here: 

 

https://www.campaignmnitor.com/pricing/

There is so much included in this platform, one could spend hours perfecting their campaigns and making them look professional.

I was able to create a test campaign from one of the many pre-made templates available on Campaign Monitor’s website (I chose a sample template that was promoting a deal on an organic juice because I’m all about organic and healthy foods!). I sent the campaign emails out to some of my family members.  The template was easy to use and I had several options for importing the list of email addresses or just entering them manually.  I thought a nice feature was that I could choose to send emails out to targeted audiences if I wanted.  You can also use apps connected to Campaign Monitor that help in this area.  I easily was able to name the campaign, use the provided ad and enter my recipients’ email addresses and the campaign was sent.  You can see a full list of Campaign Monitor’s features here:

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/features/
 

I was also impressed with the insights Campaign Monitor can give you once you’ve sent out your email campaign. These insights help you better your future campaigns.  I am hoping to spend more time on this site to use it as I mentioned above for my blog and Instagram.

I liked how much content this site has and how user-friendly it is!  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a business or website who wants to easily grow their product!

 

Disclosure:  This review has been provided at the request of Campaign Monitor and Anagram Interactive. I want to thank them both for their partnership and sponsorship.  A small amount was provided to me so that I could access all of the available features on their website. A positive review was in no way required as part of this partnership. The views expressed here are my own.  All pictures are from Campaign Monitor’s website and used with permission (except for the logo).
 

Link to the main site: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/b/

 

 

 

Paperless Post: Helping People Connect in Real Life—Review

 

 

Paperless Post is an online messaging service that “helps connect people in real life.”  They claim to “reimagine invitations.”  I was excited to try out this service as I love sending people cards, whether they be in real life or, as in this case, through the Internet.  I tend to prefer snail mail, but Paperless Post is probably one of the best online “paperless” services I’ve used; I like it just as much as snail mail!  Paperless Post is a free service, with upgrade options at a small additional cost (see more on that below).

Paperless Post offers all different types of cards that you can send.  I love how unique and varied their designs are.  They are also customizable.  The designs and prints are gorgeous.  You can also create events, send invitations and make flyers.  I created a “just because” card to send to my mom and I really enjoyed customizing the card to suit her tastes.  I had the option to choose everything from the picture, the colors, the font, the envelope and to even put a cute little stamp that said “mother” on it.  So, it felt like I was still taking the time to create something special for her instead of just shooting off a generic e-card.  I also created an invitation for my upcoming Father’s Day get-together with my dad.  I sent it only to him, but you can send invitations to as many people as you’d like and I love how you can have people RSVP.  I was able to fully customize the invite to a baseball theme and I even put a picture of my dad on it.  I did have to use more “coins” (which cost money) for each upgrade.  Some of the cards themselves are free, but to upgrade and customize, it may cost a small amount.

I really enjoyed using this service and will definitely be going back for my paperless needs!  I love the options they have as far as their variety of designs and customization!  I would highly recommend this website and service!

To visit Paperless Post’s website and to start sending your own creations in no time at all, click here:

https://www.paperlesspost.com/

Disclosure:  This review has been provided at the request of Paperless Post. Coins were provided to me so that I could access all of the available features on their website. A positive review was in no way required as part of this partnership. The views expressed here are my own.